- In looking at the Republican candidates for the statewide races in Minnesota, it has struck me that this may be the highest quality group the party has put forth in well more than a decade. At the same time, I find myself lamenting the fact it may be all for naught given the anti-GOP vibe permeating this election cycle.
All that said, I'm at least hopeful the top of the MNGOP ticket won't adversely affect down ballot legislative races. In fact, the latest shift in a certain US Senate race provides some.....dare I say.....optimism????
The Cook Political Report shifted its rating of Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race toward Republicans on Tuesday, another sign that a contest Democrats once expected to win comfortably has become increasingly competitive in the closing weeks of the campaign.
Cook moved the race between Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D) and Republican Michele Tafoya, a former NFL broadcaster, from “Likely Democrat” to “Lean Democrat.”
The shift is an unwelcome development for Democrats, who are trying to regain control of the Senate but now face a competitive race in a state that has long been reliably blue in federal elections.
Minnesota has not elected a Republican to the Senate since Norm Coleman in 2002. This seat has been held by Democrats since Al Franken defeated Coleman in 2008, and in the 2024 presidential election, Kamala Harris carried Minnesota by more than four percentage points.
But Tafoya, a longtime television sports reporter making her first run for public office, has kept the race close. Recent polls have shown the contest tightening, with some putting the candidates within the margin of error.
How goofy is this election cycle nationally? There is a nonzero chance that the US Senate races in Minnesota and Michigan flip to Republicans while Texas goes blue.
I legitimately don't know how this will all shake out, and I kinda like it that way.
- Kudos to Congresswoman Angie Craig and MN State Sen. Ron Latz for standing up to their party's association with an unapologetic America hater.
As someone who is well right-of-center politically, it's tempting to sit back with the popcorn while elected officials of the opposite ideology make such an egregious error in judgement. But on the other hand, what if a plurality of Minnesotans actually don't care or, even worse, have a similar worldview to Piker? This is absolutely one instance where righties, independents and moderate Dems (to the extent there are even any moderates remaining) should be able to unify and call this for what it is. If not, Minnesota may well indeed be past the point of no return.
- If you're an NFL fan, you've undoubtedly heard about the saga of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who will miss the remainder of the 2026 season due to issues with blood clots.
However, the revelation of what Hurts endured ahead of his team's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on October 11 was jarring.
Look, I'm not doctor (and I didn't even stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night). However, it struck me as being medical malpractice to advise a guy to not sleep for 36 hours and then go out and play a football game. I get that Hurts is ultra competitive and will do anything to play. But aren't these medical professionals associated with NFL teams supposed to do what's best for the individual player's health as as opposed to elevating him to the absolute minimum condition to play an NFL game? Mind you, it's a game where the average player wakes up the next day feeling as though he'd been in an automobile accident. And this is only after Hurts and his teammates had to endure a 7-8 hour flight home to Philly from London, England.
I'm guessing it's long past time for the NFL Players Association to step in and mitigate some of these issues before it, at minimum, ends a guy's career in an instant. Balking at an 18th regular season game as well as reigning in the transcontinental travel would be good places to start.
-----------------------------------------
